I am a to-do list fan. I’m not ashamed of it and I don’t hide it. To-do lists are a fantastic way of helping you get organized, and get stuff done. A to-do list can be as basic or as complicated as you like, but I prefer the simplicity of Google Tasks. Free, simple layout, and it just gets the job done.
Except when it doesn’t. Last week I realized that I had too many projects currently “in the works.” You know what I mean – things that I say I’m working on, but really they’re mostly sitting around half-done, cluttering up my brain. Every time I thought about one of these unloved projects, I would mentally slap myself for being a slacker. That’s not exactly a good way to be productive.
That’s when it hit me. A simple revelation, as all the best revelations are. I had to go back to the basics and regroup.
I pulled out my trusty pen ( remember, it’s the only pen I own ) and a few sheets of paper. I wrote down, in separate areas of the page, every single project that is currently in that limbo status. A single problem hit me.
There were too many.
Immediately I made the decision to scrap 2 projects. Gone, done, game over. These projects weren’t likely to be successful in the long run, and I don’t have a lot of passion for them. So, they got the axe, and I need not worry about them any longer.
My remaining projects all mean something to me, and I think they all have potential. So, how to get organized and figure out what to do?
Again, a simple revelation. I simply remembered the alphabet.
I cannot do project Y until I have completed project X. I need the finished product that X will provide so that I can move on with Y. Project Z follows along a similar path, in that I need Project Y to be completed first.
So simple, and yet I didn’t really grasp it until I put the ideas down on paper. A revised to-do list was born, with my projects in order. I cannot do Project Y or Z until Project X is fully completed. What does that mean? I no longer have to think about Y or Z. Brain clutter gone, organization back. I am back on track, focused, and unstressed. Perfect.